Mozilla Expresses Dissatisfaction Over Microsoft’s Windows 10 Default Browser Setup

Microsoft has made a subtle yet significant change to its Windows 10 setup. This modification impacts how users select a default app for applications such as the mail system, calendar or web browsers. This shift in process has brought about a scenario where popular browsers like Chrome and Firefox can’t install themselves as the default browser during the installation phase.

Mozilla, the company behind Firefox, has expressed a considerable frustration with this change, urging Microsoft to reverse what they describe as an “aggressive move to override user choice on Windows 10.”

In both an insightful [blog post](https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2015/07/30/safeguarding-choice-and-control-online/) and an [open letter](https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2015/07/30/an-open-letter-to-microsofts-ceo-dont-roll-back-the-clock-on-choice-and-control/) addressed to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Mozilla CEO Chris Beard laid bare the company’s concerns. Beard points out that the new setup now requires users to navigate through more content, exert more mouse clicks and requires a higher degree of technical sophistication to assert their browsing preferences—a convenience readily available in earlier Windows versions.

Beard goes on to comment, “It’s confusing, hard to navigate and easy to get lost.” To back up their stance, Mozilla has compiled a video demonstrating the number of clicks required to set Firefox as the default browser—a task that now seems to be needlessly complicated.

Furthermore, Microsoft’s changes affect the way browsers and apps attempt to become the default choice after their installation. Previously, an app like Chrome or Firefox could simply generate a pop-up upon first launch and set itself as the default. However, the new process now directs a Windows 10 user to a new settings page where they then have to select the actual default app.

Mozilla’s argument that this is a more complex process stands, as there are now more steps involved in changing your default browser, which could likely cause confusion among some consumers. The reasoning behind Microsoft’s decision for this alteration is not entirely clear. However, the tech giant has justified it as a means to lessen “some of the unwanted noise that multiple prompts can bring” during the testing of Windows 10.

More details can be found on [The Verge’s report.](http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/30/9076445/mozilla-microsoft-windows-10-browser-default-apps-complaint)

The situation highlights the on-going conversations about user control, choice, and the potentially monopolizing moves within the tech industry. As it unfolds, users and industry experts alike will be watching with keen interest.